IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,543,655
Granted Patent B2
US 12,543,655 · App. 18/495,229 · Granted Feb 10, 2026

Controlling transfer of material from a transfer vehicle to a haulage vehicle based on an internal profile of the haulage vehicle

Inventors: Riley J. Wegmann (Urbana, IA); William J. Vande Haar (Janesville, IA); Moresh Kolhe (Pune, IN)
Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
A01D90/10
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,543,655
App. No.
18/495,229
Granted
Feb 10, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

The internal geometry of a haulage vehicle is identified. A material transfer operation is controlled to transfer material from a material transfer vehicle to the haulage vehicle based on the internal geometry of the haulage vehicle.

Claims (75)

1 . A method of controlling a material transfer operation, the method comprising:

determining that a material transfer operation is to be performed to transfer material from a material transfer vehicle to a haulage vehicle;

accessing a representation of a haulage vehicle internal geometry corresponding to the haulage vehicle;

identifying a plurality of discrete fill locations in the haulage vehicle based on the haulage vehicle internal geometry;

detecting a fill level at each fill location of the plurality of discrete fill locations; and

controlling the material transfer operation to transfer material from the material transfer vehicle to the haulage vehicle based on the detected fill level at each fill location of the plurality of discrete fill locations.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein accessing a representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry comprises:

detecting a vehicle identifier corresponding to the haulage vehicle;

accessing, based on the vehicle identifier, computer aided design (CAD) file information corresponding to a CAD file representing the haulage vehicle; and

controlling the material transfer operation based on the CAD file information.

3 . The method of claim 2 wherein accessing the CAD file information comprises:

receiving, at a remote server system, the CAD file;

generating the CAD file information, based on the CAD file, at the remote server system;

receiving, at the remote server system, the vehicle identifier from the material transfer vehicle; and

sending the CAD file information to the material transfer vehicle.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein accessing a representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry comprises:

sensing a characteristic of the haulage vehicle with a sensor;

generating a sensor signal responsive to the sensed characteristic; and

generating the representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry based on the sensor signal.

5 . The method of claim 4 wherein sensing a characteristic of the haulage vehicle comprises:

positioning the sensor in a calibration position; and

scanning the haulage vehicle with the sensor to sense a geometry of the haulage vehicle.

6 . The method of claim 1 wherein accessing a representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry comprises:

detecting a user input indicative of a characteristic of the haulage vehicle; and

generating the representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry based on the user input.

7 . The method of claim 6 wherein detecting a user input comprises:

displaying a representation of the haulage vehicle on a display device; and

detecting a user input tracing a portion of the representation of the haulage vehicle on the display device.

8 . The method of claim 7 wherein detecting a user input comprises:

detecting a user input indicative of dimensional information corresponding to the haulage vehicle, wherein generating the representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry comprises generating the representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry based on the traced portion of the representation of the haulage vehicle and based on the dimensional information.

9 . The method of claim 1 wherein accessing a representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry comprises:

detecting a vehicle type of the haulage vehicle; and

accessing a representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry based on the vehicle type.

10 . The method of claim 1 wherein controlling the material transfer operation to transfer material from the material transfer vehicle to the haulage vehicle based on the representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry comprises:

determining a volume of the haulage vehicle based on the haulage vehicle internal geometry;

identifying a volume of material transferred during the material transfer operation; and

controlling the material transfer operation based on the volume of the haulage vehicle and the volume of material transferred.

11 . The method of claim 10 wherein identifying a volume of material transferred comprises:

sensing a characteristic of the material transfer operation; and

estimating the volume of material transferred based on the sensed characteristic.

12 . The method of claim 1 , and further comprising:

detecting a vehicle identifier corresponding to the haulage vehicle;

communicating a representation of the vehicle identifier to a remote server system;

receiving file information from the remote server system, wherein the file information is identified based on the representation of the vehicle identifier and represents the haulage vehicle internal geometry.

13 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the material comprises harvested agricultural material, and further comprising:

receiving, by the material transfer vehicle during a first material transfer operation, the harvested agricultural material from an agricultural harvesting machine, wherein controlling the material transfer operation comprises controlling a second material transfer operation to transfer the harvested agricultural material from the material transfer vehicle to the haulage vehicle.

14 . A material transfer control system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the material transfer control system to:

display a representation of a haulage vehicle on a display device;

detect a user input tracing a portion of the representation of the haulage vehicle on the display device;

generate a representation of a haulage vehicle internal geometry corresponding to the haulage vehicle based on the user input; and

control a material conveyance subsystem on a material transfer vehicle to perform a material transfer operation that transfers material from the material transfer vehicle to the haulage vehicle based on the representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry.

15 . The material transfer control system of claim 14 wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the material transfer control system to:

detect a vehicle identifier corresponding to the haulage vehicle, access CAD file information, corresponding to a CAD file representing the haulage vehicle, based on the vehicle identifier.

16 . The material transfer control system of claim 14 wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the material transfer control system to:

sense a characteristic of the haulage vehicle;

generate a sensor signal responsive to the sensed characteristic; and

generate the representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry based on the sensor signal.

17 . The material transfer control system of claim 14 wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the material transfer control system to:

detect a vehicle type of the haulage vehicle and access a representation of the haulage vehicle internal geometry based on the vehicle type.

18 . The material transfer control system of claim 14 wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the material transfer control system to:

determine a volume of the haulage vehicle based on the haulage vehicle internal geometry;

identify a volume of material transferred during the material transfer operation; and

control the material transfer operation based on the volume of the haulage vehicle and the volume of material transferred.

19 . A material transfer control system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the material transfer control system to:

determine that a material transfer operation is to be performed to transfer material from a material transfer vehicle to a haulage vehicle;

access a representation of a haulage vehicle internal geometry corresponding to the haulage vehicle;

identify a plurality of discrete fill locations in the haulage vehicle based on the haulage vehicle internal geometry;

detect a plurality of discrete fill levels, each respective discrete fill level, of the plurality of discrete fill levels, representing material fill at a respective discrete fill location of the plurality of discrete fill locations; and

control the material transfer operation to transfer material from the material transfer vehicle to the haulage vehicle based on the plurality of discrete fill levels.

20 . The material transfer control system of claim 19 , wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the material transfer control system to:

execute a transfer strategy to control a material conveyance subsystem based on the plurality of discrete fill levels and the plurality of discrete fill locations in the haulage vehicle.

Assignments (2)
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE ASSIGNOR #2 NAME SHOULD BE WILLIAM J. VANDE HAAR. PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 065483 FRAME: 0990. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Nov 14, 2023
From: WEGMANN, RILEY J.; VANDE HAAR, WILLIAM J.; KOLHE, MORESH
To: DEERE & COMPANY
Reel/Frame 065565/0758 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 7, 2023
From: WEGMANN, RILEY J.; VANDE HARR, WILLIAM J.; KOLHE, MORESH
To: DEERE & COMPANY
Reel/Frame 065483/0990 →
Continuity (5)
Continuation In Part 18465580 · Sep 12, 2023
Provisional Application 63512368 · Jul 7, 2023
Provisional Application 63381178 · Oct 27, 2022
Provisional Application 63381187 · Oct 27, 2022
Related Publication 20240138312A1 · May 2, 2024
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